


The Räe Legacy

by jo_coztal



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M, SWTOR
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-04-18 10:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14210802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jo_coztal/pseuds/jo_coztal
Summary: The story of two sisters, Jedi Master Kai'sha Räe and Captain Ty'sha Räe, as they try to hold the galaxy together through the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, the war with the Eternal Empire of Zakuul, and beyond.  A story of love, loss, and everything in between.





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a compilation of scenes between mostly original characters set within the story of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Many of the primary NPC's from the game are featured prominently - Theron Shan especially - but the story will focus heavily on Kai'sha, a Jedi Consular, and her twin sister, Ty'sha, a Smuggler. 
> 
> Spoiler warning for the story content in SWTOR and all of it's related expansions.

Nervousness pulsed through Ty, a feeling she wasn't used too.  She was one of the galaxy's most skilled smugglers - a gunslinger that made gang bosses quake in their boots!  She's shouldn't be pacing like this.  Glancing around the small room, Ty thought this was an odd place to meet - Carrick Station had plenty more luxurious and comfortable meeting areas.  Maybe it was a Jedi thing?

A Jedi... by the maker, her sister - her TWIN - wasn't _**just** _ a Jedi.  She was a really, really, REALLY important Jedi.  A powerful one too, if rumors were true.  Ty didn't know much about the inner workings of the Jedi - in fact, if she were honest she tried to avoid them whenever possible.  In her line of work, you learned fast that Jedi were bad news.

Ruffling her already messy hair, Ty wondered what the hold up was.  She managed to show up on time to this... meeting?  Reunion?  Where was her sister?  They were identical twins so it's not like she wouldn't recognize her... Maker!  Why was she so nervous??

She'd learned of her sister's whereabouts mostly by accident.  Risha was doing some digging on the holonet and came across a Republic dispatch that mentioned "Jedi Knight Kai’sha Räe" - the name was so similar... their parents clearly weren't very original.  After a little more research, Risha had found a holo of the Jedi and it rocked Ty's entire world.

The petite nose, eyes too big for her face... she was the twin sister that Ty couldn't remember ever knowing.  The one that the Jedi had taken when they were just toddlers.  The one her mother had cried about.  The one her father didn't discuss and got angry about if she was ever mentioned.  The family's pride and joy - the twin that _**wasn't**_ a massive screw up like Ty had been.

What if Kai'sha was just as disappointed in Ty as their parents had been?  What if Kai'sha looked at her and saw nothing but missed opportunity and regret?  Jedi could read minds, right?  What if she looked into Ty's head and saw the years of spice addiction, the revolving door of troubled relationships?  Maybe this was a bad idea.

Convinced this was a horrible mistake, Ty walked quickly toward the exit.  But before she made it out of the room, the door slid open... she was here.  Kai'sha wore a blank face - feelings carefully hidden.  As if frozen, the two women stood perfectly still, staring at each other.   Ty was vaguely aware of Kai'sha's hair being several shades darker than her own - more like their father's.  Her clothing more elaborate than Ty expected - she wasn't a "normal" Jedi by the look of things.  Ty smiled.  Kai'sha smiled back.

Without knowing who moved first, the two sisters were suddenly in a tight embrace, tears falling down both faces as they held one another tightly.

"I knew we'd meet again," Kai'sha whispered, her voice serene and smooth.

"Yeah, you couldn't hide from me forever."


	2. Aero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler warning for the story content of SWTOR and all of it's related expansions.

“What in the name of the Force do you need to pick up here, Kai? I didn’t think Jedi even _knew_ about neighborhoods like these.” Ty’sha Räe, Captain and Republic Privateer, had a look of utter disgust on her face she stepped over yet another pile of garbage in the back alley of Shadowtown that she and her sister were presently navigating, along with her sister’s large Trandoshan companion, Qyzen Fess.

Jedi Master Kai’sha’s only reply was a sly smile as she continued purposefully forward, seemingly at ease in the Nar Shaddaa slum. It had been several years since she’d last been there, but Kai knew her way around well enough to find the storefront she was looking for. She’d first learned about this place from Risha Drayen, a member of her sister’s crew, who had dealt with exotic animal traders on occasion in the past. There was, as Kai’sha had learned, quite a lot of credits to be made in the sale of illegal and exotic game animals – especially in Hutt Space.

This dealer in particular, however, had fallen on hard times and was in a bind – he had sent messages out to old business associates in an attempt to move the last of his stock so that he could close up shop and relocate off of the gambler’s moon.

Ordinarily, Kai would not have taken an active involvement in such a matter – she was often flying from star system to star system on behalf of the Jedi Order, attempting to keep the Cold War from escalating in to a full blown conflict once again – but there was something about this trader. She’d known, as soon as she heard Risha mention it, that she needed to go there. She needed to see this place.

Sometime later, the flickering lights from within the shop indicated she’d found the right place. Upon entering, the dusty room was filled with empty cages that once held various species of animals – those intended for Hutt delicacies, fighting pits, or even the life of a beloved pet. Kai knew that thousands of animals had once crowded this place - but these small cages weren’t her goal. There was something bigger here.

A small, elderly Twilek man came out of a dark back room then, having heard the group’s entry into the shop, “I’m afraid we’re closed. You’ll need to leave this place!” His arms were already gestured as if to ‘shoo’ the group away when Qyzen stepped forward, his large and intimidating form causing the trader to crouch back in fear, “Ahh! I mean, welcome, welcome! How can I help you?”

“There is no need to fear us,” Kai said calmly, stepping around the bulking Trandoshan, “we are here to see the last of your large beasts.”

The Twilek’s eyes darted between Kai, Qyzen, and Ty – his large stock wasn’t advertised outside of the local black market and only questionable clients would be in search of the monster he had hidden in the storage room. “My lady,” he began eagerly, “would certainly not wish to taint herself by seeing that creature. It’s an impossible beast to handle and far too hostile for your gentle sensibilities.” The man’s hands were held out in front of him, both placating his guests and attempting to keep them as far away as possible.

“You heard the lady,” Ty said loudly, stepping closer with both hands resting lightly on her blasters, “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Clearing his throat and nodding quickly, the Twilek slowly began stepping backwards, a bony hip knocking into a crate, causing the man to momentarily lose his balance, “Of course, of course,” his voice shook in nervous tension, “this way, please follow me.”

The storage room was located down a dark and smelly hallway that looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in years. An acidic tanginess was in the air, giving the shop a sour smell that brought water to Ty’s eyes as they neared their eventual destination. “When was the last time you cleaned this place?” Ty’s voice sputtered in disgust, her hands attempting to wave away the odor.

“You learn quickly that cleanliness is an impossible goal in this business,” came the quiet reply from the Twilek, clearly not bothered by the lingering stench. “The beast is just through this door. Don’t get too close!”

The storage room had more light than the hallway, but it was still difficult to see clearly. Dim lights hung from long chains on the ceiling, rocking back and forth in small motions causing the shadows in the room to shift every few seconds. There were large cages lining the walls… all but one were empty.

A bulking mass could be seen in one cage, large and reptilian in shape. In the low light the vibrant purple of its skin seemed to glow. The shallow, labored breaths of the beast were loud – almost pitiful. “How long has this creature been caged?” Kai’s voice was quiet with sorrow. The animal was radiating with pain and anger and despair.

“A few months. He was caught down on Hutta. I had a buyer in mind but the deal fell through at the last minute, so he’s been sitting here ever since.”

Kai slowly approached the cage, taking care to stop her approach when the animal’s breathing sped up. It made harsh snarling noises, thrashing it’s helmeted head violently, “Why is it wearing that harness?” Kai asked, pitty clear in her voice.

“Chemilizards are aggressive. Covering their eyes helps to keep them calm.”

“Aggressive?” Ty asked in genuine interest, having never seen a live chemilizard before. The creature's tail was swiping angrily from one side of the cage to the other, showing off more of the lizard’s beautiful scales.

“It’s the toxins down on Hutta that do it,” the Twilek explained, “They live off of the land down there and they’ve evolved from orpali dragons into these violent creatures.”

“Can they be trained?” Kai asked, slowly approaching the cage once more.

“Yes, though training isn’t always successful.”

Kai was standing within a few feet of the lizard’s large snarling mouth and could see it stick it’s massive tongue out to sense her location in the air. It had a growl that would frighten most people – guttural and low, almost like the sound of stone collapsing in on itself. “Qyzen, what do you think?”

The Transdoshan spoke, his voice strong and proud, indicating to Kai that he would help her train the beast and make it strong again.

“Surely you don’t plan to keep the beast as a pet?” Came the shocked voice of the Twilek, looking to Kai with bafflement clearly on his face.

“Not a pet,” came the Jedi’s reply, “A companion.”

Kai could sense the violence and anger within the chemilizard… but deep down, at its base nature, this beast was still an orpali dragon – This beautiful creature was meant for more than this cage. Reaching out with her mind, Kai sensed the turmoil the dragon felt, being away from its home, stuck in a cage. Kai projected a sense of calm to the beast, letting it know she was here to help him. It rejected the calmness at first, lashing out in anger, but Kai did not relent. “Be calm, my friend,” she whispered aloud, continuing to project stillness and serenity.

After a few moments, the dragon began to open its mind to her, as if to show why it didn’t want to be calm. Why it needed to attack – it had been stolen away from its home. It wanted revenge. Kai understood – the Jedi had taken her from her home as a child… to a place she didn’t know. She shared those feelings, offering a hand of friendship as one who understood it’s plight.

Acceptance.

Kai smiled, knowing that the Force had brought her here because this beast – vicious and frightening to most – was a kindred spirit. “What shall I call you?” she asked, opening her eyes to look at the great beast before her. “You like to run, don’t you? You’re fast too, I bet… I’ll call you Aero.”


	3. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jedi Master and Barsen'thor, Kai'sha Räe, meets a soldier of the Republic - Commanding Officer of Havoc Squad, Major Trajen Dane - in a meeting that will change both of their lives forever.

Kai’sha took a cleansing breath, forcing herself to remain calm and focused.  She and Ty were pinned down several city blocks away from their respective crews – a quick scouting run had turned south when the pair had come across a group of Imperial soldiers that were seeking refuge in a well positioned alleyway.

“I hate Corellia!” Ty yelled over the sound of blaster fire, “Where is that back-up you promised me?!”

Kai sent a powerful wave of energy toward an Imperial Commando before replying, “I’m assuming they got caught up in a similar situation to this, Ty’sha.” The Jedi’s voice reflected a calmness that wasn’t completely authentic… though she wouldn’t let her sister know that she was unnerved by their circumstances.

Corellia was nothing short of a war zone – while Ty had separate objectives from her own, Kai found the terrain hostile enough to warrant their crews working together for the time being.  A squad of Republic Spec Force soldiers were supposedly on their way to provide additional support – though she was beginning to think they’d never make it.

“Captain, we could use some help over here!” The voice of Ty’s eternally positive crew member, Corso Riggs, chimed through their communication devices, followed by the sounds of even more blaster fire.

“Shit!” Ty swore under her breath, “Okay, Corso!  I just need to get through about three dozen Imp’s and then we’ll be right over!”

Whatever reply that may have come through, Kai’sha didn’t acknowledge it – even more Imperial troops were approaching.  Despite her abilities and her sister’s skill with a blaster, this wasn’t a fight they could win.  Glancing at their surroundings yet again, Kai failed to locate an escape route that would take them out of harm’s way fast enough.  This wasn’t looking good.

“I have a bad feeling about this!” Ty yelled, her voice tense as she fired again and again into the mass of Imperial soldiers.

Ty’sha’s voice seemed to attract the attention of a particularly skilled Imperial Commando, who began to focus his fire on the cover Ty had taken refuge behind.  Kai shielded her sister as best she should, but it wasn’t enough – Ty’sha released a howl of pain as a blaster shot ripped into her left knee.  Collapsing to the ground in agony, Ty was able to do nothing more than cry out in pain – her blasters lay forgotten on the ground beside her.

With only one active opponent left in the fight, the Imperial forces began a slow approach toward the sisters, confident in their victory.  The line of soldiers closed in, falling into a tight formation as they continued forward.

While she may die here, Kai’sha decided her goal must be to do anything she could to save her sister.  Releasing a massive blast of energy toward the line of soldiers, Kai pushed them all backwards in a violent wave, forcing several to the ground.  Leaping out from cover, the Jedi decided to play the aggressor, releasing blasts of Force energy with increasing speed – the more space between them and Ty, the better.  Even a few seconds might make the difference in her sister’s survival.

While giving the fight all that she had, Kai knew she wouldn’t last long – not against these numbers.  Focusing on her connection to the Force, she began to glow with power as she continued with her assault.  Golden beams of energy sparked from her fingertips, flying from her before she was consciously aware of them, slamming into her foes with increased ferocity.

Then reinforcements arrived.

An explosion hit the Imperial line from behind and through the smoke Kai could see the armored figures of Republic soldiers running into the fray.  While a smaller squad, they moved in unison, mowing down the Imperials with exacting precision.  Kai’sha continued to attack, while projecting healing energies and Force barriers toward her would-be saviors.

One of the soldiers, a large dark-haired man wielding an even larger assault cannon, moved quickly in her direction, providing cover as Kai’sha continued to heal his comrades.  The battle was turning in their favor, even more so when blaster fire began to appear once more from Ty’sha, who’d propped her body on a cement block, firing at the enemy with with tears of pain running down her face.

“Watch out!” The soldier with the assault canon called out urgently while jumping in front of Kai as a volley of blaster fire appeared from behind a nearby chunk of fallen concrete.  Taking the hits for her, the soldier fired back, quickly taking out the Imperial soldiers who’d targeted her – alarmed and grateful, Kai’sha erected a force barrier around the man and immediately set to work healing his injuries.

He glanced toward her, his bright green eyes standing out in contrast to his tanned skin, and she found herself momentarily captured by his gaze.  Even in the heat of combat, Kai’sha was transfixed – he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.  The soldier glanced away from her after a moment, firing off combustible rounds at a group of Imperials.  Remembering where she was and realizing her temporary inaction, Kai returned to the task at hand – where it belonged.

It took several minutes – several tense minutes – until the last Imperial fell, but they had done it. Relief flooded through Kai’sha as she ran quickly to Ty, finding her already under the care of a Spec Force medic.

“Dammit, that hurts!” Ty was yelling, her face was twisted angrily, eyes shut tightly as the solider – a female Lieutenant – began administering kolto into the open wound.  Without speaking, Kai crouched down and began to heal her sister’s shattered knee, sensing that even the Force wouldn’t be able to save the joint.  Her sister would need to have her knee replaced.

Working in silence, broken occasionally by grunts of pain, the soldier and Jedi stabilized Ty’s injured limb and prepared her for extraction.  “I’ll remain with the patient,” the Lieutenant said in a clipped Imperial accent.

Surprised to see an Imperial working with Republic Spec Forces, Kai’sha made eye contact once again with the green-eyed soldier, who appeared to be in charge.  He replied with only the raise of an eyebrow, as if challenging her to question one of his squad members.

Deciding against it, Kai’sha stood and held her communicator to her mouth, “Qyzen, update.  What’s your situation?”  The snaps and snarls of her Trandoshan ally indicated that he wasn’t impressed with the combat skills of Ty’s crew, but all was well.  Letting out a quiet chuckle, Kai replied, “Ty needs an evac.  Have Corso get a shuttle to my location.”

Following Qyzen’s affirmative, Kai turned once again to the soldier, “I am Jedi Knight Kai’sha Räe.  Thank you for your assistance.”

“Major Trajen Dane, at your service,” he said in a low baritone as he motioned to his soldiers, “This is Havoc Squad.”

Nodding in acknowledgment to the team of soldiers gathered around, Kai’sha frowned slightly.  “We expected you several hours ago.”

“If there’s anything I learned while growing up on this miserable rock, it’s that it takes _forever_ to get anywhere.”  The soldier was standing close to her, the smile on his face feeling out of place given the battle they’d just fought.

“A local, then?” Kai said in her best impression of a _Jedi_ voice, “That will be useful.  Our crews have been getting ambushed quite a bit in this sector.”  She felt flushed – his proximity affecting her more than she’d like to admit.

The man – Major Dane – began to survey their surroundings, seemingly at ease in the war zone.  “We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said with confidence, “I hope you can keep up, _Sparkler_.”

He’d winked at her then… the immediacy of the blush on Kai’sha’s face was alarming – this man, this soldier, was going to be trouble.

* * *

Carrick Station was busier than normal, Kai observed silently, as she led her apprentice, Nadia, toward the turbolift that would take them to their meeting with General Garza.  They had left Corellia several weeks earlier and had spent the time since on Coruscant with Ty’sha as she recovered from her injuries – her twin’s leg would likely be much stronger in the long run, but the procedure of getting the implant to replace her destroyed knee had taken a toll on the young privateer.

Another crisis had called the Barsen’thor back to duty, however.  This time, her destination would be the planet of Ilum, though the details of the operation were yet unknown.  Several Jedi were involved, Kai knew, and many Republic soldiers were already in route to the planet.  The Jedi weren’t unfamiliar with Ilum, of course, given the importance the planet held to the Order – but the fact that Kai was needed there now spoke of a larger plan at work.  This meeting with the General should shed light on the situation.

“It’s odd, isn’t it?  To be meeting with a General rather than Grand Master Satele?” Nadia questioned as the pair wound their way through a small crowd of soldiers celebrating what appeared to be one of their birthday’s.

“Not necessarily,” Kai replied back, smiling slightly toward the soldiers as they passed, “Our work on Corellia with Havoc Squad made us known to the General and it’s likely that Master Satele already has a plan of her own.”  In truth, Kai and the Grand Master had never quite gotten along… and if the Grand Master did in fact have a plan, Kai assumed that she would not play a role in it.  While the Barsen’thor and Grand Master were always respectful of each other, Kai found Shan’s methods to be rather… cold.  Unfeeling.

As the pair continued on their way, Kai’sha caught sight of a familiar Cathar just ahead of them – Lieutenant Jorgan, if she recalled correctly, of Havoc Squad.  He was waiting at the turbolift, glancing back and forth down the surrounding corridor, as if waiting for someone.

“Hello, Lieutenant,” Kai’sha said serenely as they approached, “I hope you are doing well.”

Offering her a salute, the gruff Cathar nodded quickly before replying, “Yes, ma’am, thank you.  I’m to escort you to the briefing room, Master Jedi.”  His voice was off.  He almost sounded… amused?

Raising a quizzical brow, Kai’sha glanced toward her apprentice, who was looking back at her with a knowing smile.  “What?”  Kai asked, feeling as though she was the punchline of a very bad joke.

“Nothing, Master.”  Now it was Nadia who sounded amused, though she gave no indication as to the cause.

Seeing that this was going nowhere, Kai’sha walked into the waiting turbolift and watched as her apprentice and ‘escort’ joined her, each with a poorly masked smiles on their faces.  The trip to the private briefing room was short, though the awkwardness in the air was thick – whatever her two companions found humorous, they were clearly not in the mood to share.

There were several people waiting when the trio arrived – an older woman, whom Kai assumed to be General Garza, drew her immediate attention.  The woman was facing toward her, speaking to an officer who’s face Kai could not yet see.

“Ah, Master Räe, thank you for meeting with me at such short notice.”

Bowing slightly in respect, Kai nodded to the General.  “Of course, General Garza.  I am happy to be of assistance.”

“I’ve heard exemplary things about your work on Corellia.”  The General motioned toward the soldier she’d been speaking to, summoning him forward, “You’ll remember Major Trajen Dane, Master Jedi?  He requested your assistance on this operation personally.”

Sucking in a quiet breath, Kai glanced quickly toward the man, who’s face held that same smile she remembered from their first meeting.  This time, however, he wore a well-fitting officer’s uniform and his handsome face was free of dirt and debris.  Shockingly, he looked even larger this way – without the bulky plating of his field armor, the sheer size of the man was almost overwhelming.

“Master Jedi,” he offered with a nod, his green eyes capturing her gaze once again, “It’s good to see you.”  His voice hit her ears as though it was a caress and the warmth that she could feel hit her cheeks spoke to the violent blush that would soon appear.  How this man, of all people, could have such an effect on her…

 _ **Yes**_ , Kai decided silently.  She was in trouble.


	4. Songbird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their initial meeting on the war-torn world of Corellia, Jedi Master Kai'sha Räe and Havoc Squad CO Trajen Dane travel to Ilum to battle against the Empire... and their developing feelings for each other.

Major Trajen Dane, Commanding Officer of Havoc Squad, was a distraction – this Kai’sha knew without a doubt.  The man was insufferably unprofessional and his very presence set her on edge.

Having arrived on the planet of Ilum only a day before, Kai’sha and her crew were still adjusting to the cold weather and the limited resources available to them following the Sith takeover of the planet’s Jedi Temple.  Commander Rans was leading the operation for the Republic military and he’d briefed Kai’sha and Trajen on the situation, which seemed dire at best.  Something larger was at work on this eerily beautiful planet and Kai was determined to figure out what the Sith wanted here – and what role adegan crystals played in their plans.

It had been determined that the destruction of Imperial mephite deep-miners was a top priority and Havoc Squad was being deployed with Kai’s team as support in the deep-miner’s destruction… Havoc’s Commander had apparently decided to use this mission as an opportunity to drive Kai’sha mad.

He’d insisted on making sure that Kai’s cold weather gear was properly functioning, despite Felix’s assurances that he’d already completed a system’s check of Kai’s equipment and that everything was in order – Trajen had put his hands on her shoulders to check the connections of her padded shoulder plates to the heating unit located on the inner layers of her armor, removing and replacing her brown gloves, his fingers tracing hers so subtly… Kai knew she’d blushed at the brief touch and close attention he’d shown her.

“Warm?” Trajen had asked with a smirk, knowing full well that the color on her cheeks had nothing to do with the warmth of their surroundings.

On the journey toward the three deep-miner locations, Kai had fielded dozens of questions from him – _What was Tython like?  Where is your family from?  Who trained you?  What does Barsen’thor mean?  Why did you become a healer?  Why don’t you ever use your lightsaber?_ Kai’sha had offered friendly enough answers, though she found it odd that he could still manage to ask her personal questions while they were in the middle of engaging Imperial soldiers.

“It just seems like a waste,” he’d yelled loudly as he positioned his assault canon over the top of an ice block they were using for cover during their approach to the final deep-miner coordinates, sending out a volley of missles before adding, “That lightsaber could do some major damage, but you hardly ever use it.”

Kai had replied, while focusing her energies toward shielding Lieutenant Jorgan from enemy fire a short distance away, “In my experience I’ve found more fulfillment in saving lives rather than taking them.”

“Understandable,” he’d said as they ran forward, moving toward the mouth of a nearly hidden ice cavern with Jorgan close on their heels.  The final member of their assault team, Qyzen Fess, was fending off the last of the Imperial soldiers, his large form moving quickly as he cut them down.

“There’s too many of them out here!” Jorgan had yelled toward Trajen, gasping in labored breaths as they reached the cavern’s mouth, “We need to defend the entry point or we’ll be surrounded.”

Qyzen offered his agreement, pointing toward several more Imperials who’d seemed to appear out of nowhere, now quickly heading in their direction.

“You two stay here,” Trajen replied quickly as he checked the power reserves on his weapon, “Sparkler and I will take out the deep-miner and double back to this position.”

Kai’s eyes narrowed at the repeated use of the nickname that she’d been given as she looked everyone over for injuries, “Do you have medpacs, Qyzen?”

The snarls and hisses she received in reply indicated that he and Jorgan would be able to cover the area and Kai should focus on the task at hand.  She smiled at the gruffness of her friend before placing a hand on his massive shoulder and saying a quick, “Be careful,” as she stood to follow Trajen deeper into the cavern.

The ice walls surrounding them glowed with a low blue light, making the shapes of the Imperials within difficult to see from a distance.  They were forced to confront the enemy in close quarters, making the use of the Major’s assault canon a bit tricky.  Kai had taken to positioning herself against Trajen’s back, covering them in a golden shield of force energy while knocking the enemy back so that Trajen could more effectively use his weapon.

“You’re pretty good at this, Sparkler,” he’d said to her with a wink, looking over his shoulder as she stood a bit too close to him.

Kai stepped away from him awkwardly, nodding toward the glowing cavern ahead, “The deep-miner shouldn’t be much further.  We need to hurry.”

The closer the pair got to their destination, the more the ground beneath them shook, vibrations coming off the deep-miner in violent waves.  A large group of Imperial soldiers could be seen ahead, dark shapes pacing slowly in the near darkness, “We need to hit them fast – give them no chance to react,” Trajen muttered softly, motioning for Kai to stay behind him as he made his way toward the enemy.

Following closely behind, Kai counted at least a dozen soldiers between them and the deep-miner.  This fight would be tricky, but the cavern and ground quakes would offer them cover, so long as they kept enough distance for Trajen’s canon to work it’s magic.

Just as the pair made their way behind a large outcropping of ice and rock, ready to press their attack, the sound of a large explosion could be heard from the direction of the mouth of the cavern. “Shit,” Trajen muttered under his breath as he crouched lower behind the ice.  Nearly all of the Imperials guarding the deep-miner were running quickly toward what could only be Jorgan and Qyzen battling Imp reinforcements.

“They can’t fight this many!” Kai whispered urgently, already moving to stand.

“No!” Trajen replied in a hiss, yanking Kai back down into a low crouch, “We destroy the deep-miner first.  Jorgan and Qyzen can hold them off.”

Kai’sha felt her stomach clench in worry – Qyzen would say the same, of course, but Kai had always felt an odd sense of protectiveness toward the large Trandoshan, “Then we need to hurry!”

With less than five Imperials left at the deep-miner, the pair made quick work of them, knocking the enemy out with several well-placed attacks from Trajen’s assault canon and Kai deflecting their blaster fire with several bursts of force energy.

Moving as quickly as possible, conscious of the sounds of battle coming from the other end of the cavern, the pair raced to complete their objective.  “Sir!” Jorgan’s voice rang out from their communicators, “We have a prob–” Jorgan’s voice cut off as the cavern shuttered violently, the sound of falling rock and faint screams floating towards them.

“Qyzen?!” Kai’sha nearly yelled, immediately dashing away from the now deactivated deep-miner, “Qyzen, can you hear me?!”

Hearing Trajen’s heavy footsteps following closely behind, Kai’sha used the force to propel herself even faster toward the cavern’s mouth.  “Kai’sha!  Stop!”

The cavern around them seemed to bellow, rock and ice falling from it’s high ceilings, crashing to the ground in violent, shattering collisions.  Kai’s path was quickly blocked as a particularly large boulder broke into dozens of pieces right in front of her.

As she looked for a path around the debris, Trajen’s hands grabbed onto her arms roughly from behind, “The cavern is collapsing!  We need to find another way out!”  His normally jovial tone had became hard, an undercurrent of worry clear behind the steely command.

“Qyzen and Jorgan!” Kai replied in a yell as more ice began to crack above them, her eyes squinting against the spray of pebbles hitting her face as another falling rock hitting the floor.

“No time!” Trajen yelled while pulling Kai’sha further into the darkness, away from the worst of the collapse.

As they ran, Kai threw force barriers around them, attempting to block as much of the falling rock as she could, knowing that her powers would be of little use if a larger section of the cavern collapsed on top of them… she focused on the dark shape of Trajen just ahead of her, his larger form moving faster than she’d ever seen it – his hand clutching hers, almost dragging her along with him.

Out of nowhere, a deep roar seemed to erupt from the cavern above them as a massive piece of rock disconnected from the ceiling.  Glancing up in alarm, Kai knew they wouldn’t be able to outrun it  – they’d be crushed.

Acting from pure instinct, Kai’sha released a massive wave of energy outward, shoving Trajen forward violently, while surrounding herself in a force barrier of bright, white-gold energy.  Just as the world turned black, Kai thought she’d heard Trajen call out her name.

* * *

In the foggy darkness of whatever reality she existed in, Kai’sha was semi-aware of a burning warmth surrounding her.  There was no softness, no sound.  Just warmth.

_Where was she?_

With no care for the passage of time, Kai simply lay in the heat, feeling a dull ache in her arms.  She wanted to rub the soreness there, work the tension from her muscles… but she couldn’t move.  The heat was holding her in a tight, comforting embrace that left her unable to do… anything.  If she were honest, she didn’t _want_ to do anything.

She couldn’t recall ever feeling so safe… secure and protected.  The hardness that surrounded her seemed to call out to her – welcoming her home, as if this was where she truly belonged.

But then the warmth shifted – a shock of ice-cold air brought Kai’sha back to full consciousness in a startling suddenness that left her gasping in pained, chilled breaths.  “Sparkler?  Kai, can you hear me?”

She couldn’t open her eyes – struggling to move, Kai’sha felt pain lance up her hands and arms, causing her to cry out desperately.  She sobbed as the agony extended beyond her shoulders, reaching across her chest like fire.  “No, don’t move.  Shhh, Kai, it’s okay.  I’ve got you.”

Disoriented, she tasted the coppery tanginess of blood in her mouth.  Her lips felt raw and her head ached fiercely.  _What had happened?  Where was she?_

“Stay calm, you’re alright.”  Turning her head toward the source of the deep voice, Kai groaned at the pain in her neck – even the act of groaning hurt, reigniting the fire in her chest, “You need to stay still, give the kolto more time.”

The warmth returned, along with the pressure of a large body stretched out along side her.  “Here, was this better?  Are you cold?”

This _was_ better, she thought in weary satisfaction as her body relaxed into the firm source of heat – a man, she realized.  A large one.  Surrendering to the warmth, Kai allowed the darkness to swallow her once again.

* * *

“Kai… Kai?  Wake up, sweetheart.”

Opening her eyes blearily, Kai’sha let out a small sigh.  The pain wasn’t so bad now… After several slow blinks, the world around her came back into focus… She couldn’t see much, just black fabric stretched over large chest.  _Trajen_.

Feeling the sting of soreness throughout her upper body, Kai tentatively flexed the muscles of her neck, shifting to look up toward the face of the Republic soldier.  She struggled for several long moments, her body fighting the movements and leaving her staring at the steady beat of a pulse under the tanned skin of his throat.

“Try not to move too much,” he said in a low voice, his chest vibrating with each word, “We didn’t have much kolto on us so the patch job I managed wasn’t the best.”

“Where are we?” Kai felt slightly detached from the sound of her own voice.  It was deeper than normal – scratchy and raw.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he replied with resignation, “It took forever to get out of that damn cave.  I’m not sure what side of the mountain we ended up on.  Lost my communicator somewhere along the way.”

Feeling slightly dizzy, Kai’sha focused on breathing as Trajen continued, “I had to use our armor and most of our gear to block the wind and snow.  Damn lucky I found this spot.  We would be frozen otherwise.  Not much space – we can only lay here, but at least we’re warm.”

“What happened?”

“You tried to get yourself killed is what happened.”  Vaguely aware of the anger in his voice, Kai tried to recall the final moments of the cavern collapse – the boulder falling over them, knocking Trajen out of harm’s way, throwing the barrier up to stop the rock from crushing her… It had all happened so fast.

“I thought rocks were your specialty, Sparkler,” Trajen said, anger transforming into a mix of humor and… tenderness?

“While I appreciate your confidence in my abilities,” Kai said weakly, “I was never very good at stopping boulders the size of rancors.”

Trajen gave a quiet chuckle while reaching up to her hair and pulling it away from her face.  “Can you look at me?  Or does you neck hurt too much?”

“I don’t think I can move anymore.”  Kai’sha wasn’t afraid to admit weakness, but the current circumstances had her worried… how injured was she?  Realizing that she didn’t have much feeling in her extremities, she asked hesitantly, “Are my injuries severe?”

He was silent for several beats longer than Kai would have hoped for, “You’ll recover.”

“Are my injuries severe?” she repeated, struggling against the tightly corded muscles of her neck to glance up into his face.  When they locked eyes, Kai’sha froze.

Trajen looked exhausted – his eyes were bloodshot and swollen, dark circles stood out like bruises around his eyes and deep lines of tension marred his normally smooth forehead… he also looked several days past a shave.  “How long have we been here?” she asked in shock.

He inhaled deeply before replying, “It took me about three hours to find a way out of the cave,” his voice lacked emotion, though his face revealed the pain behind his words, “I gave you five kolto shots to keep you breathing but couldn’t treat your wounds until we made it outside.  Both of your arms are broken, your right shoulder was dislocated,” he hesitated again, “your left hand is mangled pretty bad and I’m worried you’ll lose a finger on your right… it doesn’t have much skin left.”

Kai could feel tears building behind her eyes but knew she needed more information.  She could heal herself – she had to heal herself, “Keep going.”

“I had enough kolto to treat your arms and hands but it was so long after the injury that you’ll need a dip in a kolto tank before we can determine how bad it really is.  I reset your shoulder and bandaged up a few cuts on your back and legs.  Your torso is bruised but I don’t think you have any broken ribs.  You have a nasty concussion too.”

“How long was I unconscious?”

“It’s been about 48 hours, give or take.”

She blinked. “Have you slept?”

“A bit.”

“Were you injured?”  Kai’sha felt racked with guilt – the temperatures alone would have been problem enough, but to be treating a critically ill patient on top of that?

“I’ve had worse.”

Even though it had only been a few minutes since she’d woken, Kai’sha could already feel her body beginning to shut down, needing the energy as it struggled to heal itself.  She let out a pitiful sounding groan, blinking rapidly as she fought against the fatigue.

“Its okay, go back to sleep,” Trajen whispered, the pad of his calloused thumb rubbing softly against her cheek, “I’ll still be here.”

“No,” Kai whimpered, “I need to meditate.  To heal.”

“You don’t have the strength for that right now, Sparkler,” His voice was firm and he moved his fingers over her eyes, putting gentle pressure on her brow, “Close your eyes, Kai.  Sleep.”

“No,” she repeated, her voice sounding similar to that of a stubborn child.  While she managed to keep her eyes open, her lids felt heavy and sluggish.

“How about this,” he’d moved his face closer to hers, “When I was really young, my grandmother used to sing me to sleep.”  Kai could feel the warm puffs of his breath on her face, the bright green of his eyes standing out like crystals in the dark, “Corellia was a scary place during the war.  Even worse then it is now.  Gran would force me to look into her eyes, to ignore the sounds of blaster fire from the streets, and she’d sing until I was too tired to stay awake.”

He smiled, drawing Kai’s attention to his mouth.  His lips were cracked from the cold, dehydration, or possibly both… but his smile was still beautiful.  She met his eyes again as he began to sing a slow melody.

He had a beautiful voice, she realized.  As he sang, the lyrics flowed around her, the rich notes almost like a caress.  His hand rested on the side of her face, so large that she felt the warmth of his fingers reaching back across her skull.  She didn’t know the song, but as he sang the story of a mother and her baby journeying across the stars together, she felt an odd sense of deja vu.

Kai wasn’t sure how long they lay there together – all she knew was that he captivated her completely.  His presence, his voice, his warmth… his touch.  The injuries she’d suffered had made her weak and unable to filter through her emotions as she normally would have – these feelings of connection and attachment wouldn’t have taken root otherwise… _right_?

The world around her began to darken, her eyes finally closing – she was rapidly losing the battle against sleep.  Fighting against it, not wanting to let this moment of peace and closeness end, Kai shifted her weight, bringing her face even closer to his.

“Trajen,” she whispered, “I don’t want to sleep.”  Even as the words left her mouth, she felt the blissful emptiness of slumber racing toward her.

She didn’t know if she imagined it – perhaps she’d been too ill and too weak and it’d all been a figment of her imagination… but she was almost certain that she’d felt the pressure of his rough lips against hers, there in the dark as she fell asleep… her first kiss.

* * *

Kai’sha eyes opened wide, her mind leaving a deep meditation as she sat in solitude within her quarters on Odessen.  The memories had come to her unbidden – Ilum felt like a lifetime ago.

She glanced down at the smooth skin of her right hand, flexing her fingers tightly, watching as her pinky failed to bend.  It was the only lingering injury she’d suffered after they’d struggled for four days in the tiny shelter of rocks on a barren mountainside.  Lieutenants Jorgan and Dorne of Havoc Squad had found them there, weak but alive… apparently Jorgan and Qyzen had escaped without so much as a scratch and their crews had searched tirelessly for them in the days that followed.

Trajen had only spoken to her about the events of Ilum one time afterward.  He wasn’t himself during that conversation, Kai’sha knew.  He refused to make eye contact with her as he jokingly requested that she not mention the singing to his squad – it’d ruin his ‘tough guy’ image and he’d never hear the end of it.

Kai had replied with a smirk, “Sure, Songbird.  I won’t mention a thing.”


	5. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ty'sha Räe meets Theron Shan at Carrick Station to oversee an operation against the Sith Empire on Korriban.

Ty’sha raced through the main level of Carrick Station, weaving erratically between crowds of merchants, soldiers, and travelers.  It’s possible that she would have been stopped – questioned by station security – but Bowdaar’s large and intimidating form close behind her seemed keep any interested parties from getting too close… but she was beyond caring.  Her sister was in danger and she’d be damned if she didn’t figure out what was going on.  They’d only just found each other – it hadn’t even been a year yet…

_**No**_.  She wouldn’t think that way.  Kai would be fine.  Ty’sha would figure out what was going on and she’d go to help her.

The pain from her still-healing knee replacement sent sparks of heat up the nerves of her leg as she took the stairs three at a time, fast approaching the turbolift that would take her to this Colonel Darok person… Kai’s message had been short – She’d finished her mission on Makeb and had been called in for an operation against the Sith.  She was taking part in an assault on Korriban.

_The_ Korriban.  _Sith Academy_ Korriban.

Ty’sha had been irate when Kai had left for Makeb so soon following major injuries during her work on Ilum – but Ty had been bedridden and unable to stop her idiot-of-a-Jedi sister from jumping into yet another sticky situation… and now **_this_**?  If Kai didn’t die on Korriban, Ty’sha would probably murder her herself for all the worry she was causing.

Upon entering the turbolift, Ty quickly popped open the control panel and yanked out several wire connections, causing sparks to fly as she reconnected the wires in a slightly different pattern.  Closing the panel, she hastily entered commands to take them to the military hangar level, noting with pleasure that the turbolift began it’s decent to their destination without the required security clearance.

Ty reached down and rubbed her stinging leg, now reflecting that running and jumping down stairs was probably not the best idea.

Bowdaar, who’d barely managed to make it onto the turbolift before the doors had closed, let out a series of grunts that informed Ty’sha he felt she was being careless and would need yet another knee replacement if she didn’t stop pushing herself.  Ty rolled her eyes and sent a smile his way before replying, “Don’t worry about me, big guy.  I know my limits.”  The look on his face spoke of his doubt of the statement, but he said nothing else.

Moments later, the turbolift stopped and the doors opened to reveal a silent hallway.  The room directly opposite of the turbolift was a command station of some sort, with a large imposing soldier pacing slowly as another man – wearing rather tight and well-fitted pants – leaned over a large console with his hands moving quickly across the illuminated panel.

Bowdaar let our a quiet growl – the solider was Colonel Darok.

The sound of quick footsteps coming down the hall prompted Ty’sha to duck back into the turbolift – Glancing toward the approaching figure, Ty saw that it was the commanding officer of Havoc Squad, Major Trajen Dane.  He rushed into the room with the other two men, appearing to be involved in whatever they were doing in there.  “Of course,” Ty whispered under her breath, knowing that whatever Kai was involved in nowadays always seemed to be connected to Havoc’s CO.

Walking swiftly across the hallway, Ty’sha began speaking before any of the men had a chance a react, “Alright boys, I want an explanation.  What the hell have you gotten my sister into?”

The smaller man, the one with the tight pants, raised an eyebrow at her.  He was… _**No**_.  Ty wouldn’t go there.  The larger man, Darok, didn’t look happy.  “Exactly who are you and who gave you clearance to be here?”

“Captain Ty’sha Räe,” Trajen interjected, looking at Ty as if he’d been expecting her.

“You sent my sister on a suicide mission to Korriban and I want details!”  She placed her hands on her hips, throwing Darok the most vicious glare she could muster.

“Räe?” Ty heard the third man say, “As in, Jedi Master Kai’sha Räe?”

Darok raised a hand toward the man, “Shan, stay out of this,” Looking back toward Ty he spoke again, “We’re in the middle of a critical operation.  You need to leave.”

“I will _not_ leave.  I want to know where my sister is and who I need kill if she gets hurt!”  Ty watched as the Colonel’s right eye twitched, his glare deepening.  Trajen, she could see from the corner of her eye, had tensed.

“This is a top secret operation,” Darok said in a hard voice, “I will not hesitate to contact security and have you and your,” he looked disdainfully toward Bowdaar, “ _associate_ removed to the brig.”

“Colonel,” Ty looked back to the other man – _Shan_ – as he recaptured Darok’s attention, “Captain Räe is a privateer with the Republic – she’s run missions for the SIS before.  Her input might be useful here.”  He was holding a datapad now, his golden eyes locked on her, “You have superior piloting skills if these reports can be believed.  We’re about to begin our aerial assault and could use your help… if you’re willing?”

“I’d love to see you try to stop her,” Ty heard Trajen say under his breath as he glanced between Theron and Ty, a smirk on his face, before he returned to monitoring the command console.

While Darok didn’t appear happy with this development, he didn’t move to stop Ty as she walked closer to the holo-projection of what appeared to be an ancient temple and the areas surrounding it.  A number of indicators littered the map, showing troop movements across a sandy expanse.

“Where is Kai?” she asked, looking toward Trajen.

He pressed a few commands into the console and a small grouping of troops lit up, “She’s just landed here, at the academy approach.  The aerial assault will cover her while she moves in for the primary target.”

Ty’sha watched as the marker that indicated her sister’s location slowly moved across the ruins and sand, “Where are you providing the aerial cover?” she asked, her eye’s not leaving the map.

“Sith fighters are approaching from the North,” Darok said gruffly as Shan moved to scale the map out, showing even more of the Korriban landscape.  Ty could see a number of Republic and Sith fighters in the air, slowly approaching each other from opposite ends of the map, “Our fighters have limited stealth capabilities so they’ll be detected soon.”

Analyzing the numbers and the map, Ty thought back to her encounters with the Sith fleet over the years.  Their fighters had speed as their advantage, but to achieve that advantage they had sacrificed in durability.  “Draw them in low,” she said as she pointed a finger to what looked like a canyon littered with ruins and caves just east of the Sith Academy, “There.  Get them close to the ruins where it’s hard to maneuver.  One wrong move and they’ll crash into something.”

“Their shields won’t be able to take it,” the golden-eyed man said with approval, “It’s a good plan.  Colonel?”

Glancing toward Darok, Ty saw him analyzing the map critically, “Do it.”

* * *

Ty’sha sighed heavily in relief as she heard Kai’s voice come across the comm, “We’re done here.  Heading back to the rendezvous point now.”

In total, the operation had only taken a few hours… though it had felt like a lifetime to her.  She and Theron – Mr. Tight Pants – had worked closely to direct their fighters and keep Kai’s team covered while they assaulted the Academy itself.  Darok and Trajen had focused primarily on organizing their ground troops, with Darok barely breaking a sweat as he’d watched dozens of his soldiers fall to the enemy.

This experience reminded Ty’sha why she’d never found the appeal of joining the military – this was an ugly business.  Trajen had been especially tense, monitoring Kai’s position even more closely than she had, maintaining communication with her as she’d progressed through the Sith Academy.

“Master Räe should be back to Carrick Station in a few hours.” Theron said quietly as he placed a hand on her shoulder, “Want to grab a drink while we wait?”

Trajen’s head snapped up toward Theron at the comment, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Ty quirked a brow in his direction, “Pardon?”

“Kai will be back soon,” Trajen replied quickly, his steely gaze directed at Theron, “Ty should stay here.”

“I think she’s capable of deciding for herself, Major,” Theron’s voice held the slightest hint of humor as he watched Trajen’s face harden even more.

“She’s a _friend_ ,” Trajen replied darkly.  “Don’t forget that.”

Theron shook his head with a laugh and motioned toward the turbolift, “Ty’sha?”

Feeling as though she’d never wanted a drink more than she did right now, Ty nodded and immediately walked out of the room.  With Bowdaar having left for their ship over an hour ago and the Colonel giving a report to… someone… Theron and Ty’sha were alone as they made their way to the cantina on the main level of the station.

“So,” she heard him say beside her as they walked, “A privateer.  Interesting career choice.”

“So,” Ty replied cheekily, “An SIS Agent.  Interesting career choice.”

“Hey now, don’t say that too loud.  You’ll blow my cover!”  Theron glanced around in mock alarm, making Ty’sha laugh.  He was good looking, a bit too flirtatious, and his smile made her one good knee feel weak.

But Ty’sha knew this game – she’d been around too many SIS operatives to fall for this act.  He was testing her.  Theron Shan wanted to know who she was, what her motivations were, and how she would fit into whatever plans he had running through his head.  Having only met the man a few hours ago, Ty was already intensely aware of his intelligence – there was more to him than a nice ass in tight pants, that’s for sure.

There was a part of her, as much as she wanted to deny it, that hoped he’d noticed that she had a nice ass too… but that was a thought for another day.

The pair made it to a small table and ordered drinks from an astromech droid who served as a waiter for those not seated at the large bar area.  They were silent for several moments, each assessing the other with false lightness and mock flirtation.

“Never thought I’d meet another person with an awkward Jedi connection in the family,” Theron said finally, leaning in toward her with his forearms on the table between them.

“Awkward Jedi connection?  You have a brother or something?” Ty asked with a quirked brow.

Theron laughed, shaking his head, “The name _Shan_ doesn’t ring a bell?  How refreshing!”

“Should it?” Ty asked, feeling like she was at a disadvantage already.

“Satele Shan?  Jedi Grand Master?”

Ty’s eyes widened, “Oh!  _That_ Shan!”  She examined Theron’s handsome face for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, I guess I can see the resemblance.”

“You look a bit more like your sister than I do like my mother,” was his soft reply, “Twins?”

“Yeah,  I’m the quirky one.”

Theron smirked, “To be honest, if you hadn’t said you were her sister, even with the resemblance, I probably wouldn’t have guessed it.  Master Räe is very…”  Theron paused for a moment, as if trying to come up with a polite word to describe Kai’s mask of cold indifference.

“Sedate?  Aloof?  Infuriating?” Ty offered with a laugh, “That’s not the real Kai, you know.  She’s not like me, that’s for sure, but she isn’t a typical Jedi either.  Just ask Trajen – he seems to like her… _a lot_.”  The half-smile that appeared on Theron’s face revealed his awareness of Trajen’s _preoccupation_ with Kai, sending Ty’sha immediately into a fit of giggles.

“I’ll have to take your word for it then,”  Theron’s attention drifted to the droid returning with their drinks, passing Ty’s Mantellian whiskey to her as he took a sip of his own.  “She seemed pretty much like the rest of them to me.”

“What about you?” Ty asked on impulse, “Are you like all the rest?  SIS Agents, I mean.”

He gave her a speculative glance, “You’ll have to tell me.  Am I?”

In mock reflection, Ty leaned in toward him and put a hand to her chin, “I can’t be sure.  You’re better at hiding what you’re thinking than most of the agents I’ve met, but you’ve got that suave hot-guy thing that most of them try to use on me.”

“Suave hot-guy?”

“Yeah.  Tight pants, flirty smile.  You know – hot-guy!”  Ty sipped her drink, listening to the sound of what appeared to Theron’s genuine laughter.  It was a  _good_ laugh.

He looked at her then, _really_ looked at her – eyes heated and with a sudden seriousness that seemed to come out of nowhere.  Ty’sha could feel a blush rising to her cheeks, “Hey now,” she said awkwardly, “No intense staring.  I’ll start getting weird ideas.”

“Would they really be weird?”

Ty raised an eyebrow, “Are you _trying_ to make me blush, Agent Shan?”

“If I was, mission accomplished.”  Ty’sha watched the smile on his face broaden as she felt a matching one on her own face suddenly appear.

_**Damn it**_.

* * *

“I really don’t think that this is a good idea, Ty.  He’ll end up hurting you.  I _know_ he will.”  Trajen was standing angrily in front of her as they squared off in an empty hallway several corridors away from where Darok and Theron were awaiting Kai’s return.

“Like you’re one to talk, Trey.”  Ty was standing in her signature ‘don’t mess with me’ stance, hip cocked to the side and arms crossed over her chest.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Ty rolled her eyes, “I’m not blind or stupid.  I know you’ve got feelings for my sister.”  She paused for moment, mock contemplation on her face, “In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the entire _galaxy_ knew that you have feelings for her.”

Trajen’s eyes narrowed and he placed his massive fists on his hips, “That is an entirely different situation, Ty’sha, and you know it.”

“Don’t use my full name like you’re my dad or something!” Ty snapped back, “I’m a big girl.  I can take care of myself!”

“Theron Shan is a spy – he’s my friend and I trust him with my life but I would _never_ trust him with my sister.”

Ty paused, “Wait, you have a sister?”

“That _isn’t_ the point, Ty!”

The pair glared at each other in silence for a few moments before the sound of Trajen’s personal communicator broke through the tension.  He reached to his utility belt and pressed a button on the side of the comm unit, “Yeah?” he snapped.

It was Theron, “Master Räe just landed.  Figured you’d want to know.”

Wordlessly both Ty and Trajen turned and raced down the hall toward the hangar bay access doors, smiles breaking immediately on both their faces as they saw the familiar shape of Kai’sha in the distance.  She was standing with her back to them, talking to her apprentice, Nadia.  Upon hearing their heavy footsteps on the metal floor, the Jedi Master turned to watch their approach.

Ty’sha, even through the relief in seeing Kai safe, could see the weariness clear on the Jedi’s face.  Dark circles made her eyes look even bigger than normal and her brow was slightly furrowed with stress.  “Kai!” Ty’sha yelled as she pulled her sister into a tight hug, “I was so worried!”

“You shouldn’t be running on that knee, Ty’sha,” Kai said calmly, pulling away to glance down at her sister’s leg, “You’re still healing.”  Kai turned to Trajen, a tired smile coming to her face, “Trajen, it’s good to see you.”

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly, stepping closer and taking her right hand gently into his.  Seemingly unaware of the people around them, Trajen pulled Kai’s glove off and traced the scarred, reddened skin of her fingers, “How’s your hand?  Have you regained feeling yet?”

“It still comes and goes,” Kai replied softly, blushing slightly.

“Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore.”  Kai put her left hand on Trajen’s shoulder, “Really.  I’m okay.”

Recalling the very recent conversation she and Trajen had, Ty cleared her throat to gain the enamored pair’s attention, “Yeah, Trey.  An entirely different situation.  I stand corrected.”

The softness Trajen’s face had held while speaking with Kai evaporated as he turned to glare at Ty.  “This isn’t the time,” he said firmly, while turning to give Kai her white glove back, “Darok will want to speak with you, Sparkler.”

Kai nodded, too tired to be bothered by the use of Trajen’s pet-name for her, and began the walk toward the command station where Darok and Theron were waiting.  Kai’s Padawan trailed behind, offering the trio privacy while still remaining close enough to offer Kai’sha support if needed.

Seeing the slow pace of her sister’s steps Ty asked quietly, “Are you sure you’re okay, Kai?  You look wiped.”

Kai attempted a reassuring smile toward her sister, “Yes, I just need some rest.  Nadia was injured in the fighting and I spent much of the return trip healing her.”

Glancing over her shoulder, Ty saw the young girl bow her head, looking a bit embarrassed at being the cause of Kai’s exhaustion, “You did great, Nadia!” Ty called back to her.

The Padawan nodded in acknowledgement, offering a slight grin in return.

Entering the command station, Ty’s mind drifted off while Darok spoke with Kai’sha, offering congratulations on the success of the mission.  Her gaze drifted toward Theron – his golden eyes were locked on her, watching her boldly, not turning away when it was clear he’d been caught.  Ty felt another blush rise to her cheeks and it took all of her willpower not to giggle like a 15 year-old.

A blinking light caught Theron’s attention and Ty watched as he walked over to the console in the center of the room, bringing up the holo image of a planet.  An alarm rang out loudly and Theron’s face shifted into one of horror, “It’s Tython, we need everything we’ve got!”

“What you talking about?” Colonel Darok spun around and looked to the projection of the planet, seeing a fleet of Imperial warships in low orbit. Ty noted grimly that despite his wide eyes and gasp, the Colonel seemed unsurprised with this development.

Frowning slightly, Ty’sha turned to Theron, their eyes meeting with clear understanding – Theron sensed it too.  Something wasn’t right, “Imperial forces just hit Tython.  Iso-5 bombings, strike teams at the Jedi Temple,” Theron’s voice was dark and angry, “They need our support now!”

Darok was talking, his voice a blur in the background of Ty’s awareness as her eyes remained locked on Theron’s.  He was trying to say something, sending her a look that made her immensely uneasy.

“You’re not going back out there, Sparkler.  You can barely stand!” Trajen’s outburst pulled Ty’s attention back to the rest of the room – the soldier had a pleading look on his face as Kai shook her head.

“Tython is my home, Trajen.  I can’t abandon them.”

_**Home**_.  That word meant a lot to Ty’sha now… her own home, Uphrades, had been completely destroyed by the Sith two years earlier, killing her parents in the process.  While Kai had been born on Uphrades as well, she was taken to Tython as a toddler, remembering no other home but the Jedi Temple.

“She needs to go, Trey.” Ty interjected, smiling sadly at her sister.  “I know more than most what it’s like to lose a home.”  Taking steps toward her twin, Ty reached out and grasped Kai’s hand in her own.  “Take Havoc with you.  I’m still down for the count but I trust Trey to have your back.”

“Colonel?” Trajen asked eagerly, looking to his superior officer expectantly.

The Colonel glanced down at the floor for a moment before looking back to Trajen and replying, “Get to Tython and make the Imps pay for what they’ve done.”

Ty hugged Kai’sha tightly and whispered, “Sleep on the way there – take Qyzen with you this time.  Please?” Kai gave her a smile and turned to leave the room, Trajen following quickly behind.

A few minutes later, after the Colonel had raced from the room to file a report with the Supreme Chancellor, only Theron and Ty remained.  Turning to face him Ty’sha asked, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yes.  We need to be careful.”  Theron rubbed his eyes and suddenly looked exhausted, “I’ve had suspicions.  I didn’t think… Damn it.  This is bad.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Ty said with confidence, “I know we will.”

His eyes had that intense stare thing again as he looked at her, silent for a moment before adding, “Yeah.  Yeah, we will.”


	6. A Pirate's Life

"I look ridiculous," Trajen muttered as he adjusted the overly snug black leather jacket Ty'sha had given him, "Tell me again why I need to wear this?"

Ty stood back and looked Trajen over with a critical eye.  She frowned before saying, "Anyone with half a brain is going to see you're too stiff to be a pirate."

"Stiff?"

"You know, the whole _Commanding Officer of Havoc Squad_ thing." Ty replied with an exaggerated wave toward him, "You stand like you're about to salute me or something."

Trajen raised an eyebrow before shifting his shoulders again, "You're sure Kai's ship is in route?"

"Yep, she's almost here.  You ready?"

Ty'sha had contacted Trajen following the events on Rakata Prime several weeks earlier, letting him know that she and a few associates were working on solving the mystery behind the greater Revanite plot.  The soldier had arrived shortly after on Rishi, taking leave from his "official" Havoc duties, though his squad was in orbit ready to offer assistance if needed.

They, along with Theron Shan and Lana Beniko, had to improvise quite a bit since arriving on the pirate haven - Kai's pending arrival would be the final step in securing a cover story for their operation.  "Kai will play along," Trajen offered in response, "I don't know why you're so worried."

Ty rolled her eyes as she handed Trajen his blaster rifle, " _Please_ , my sister will start reciting the Jedi Code to unsuspecting pirates if we aren't careful."

The pair chuckled, Ty'sha keenly aware of the shift in Trajen's mood whenever Kai was mentioned.  His eyes got a far-away look and it made Ty sad to think that he'd never act on the potential that was there between him and Kai'sha.  "How long has it been?"

Trajen looked confused at the question, "Since what?"

"Since you last saw her.  How long?"

Trajen's smile faltered a bit and he suddenly became extremely interested in the contents of his utility belt.  There were a few moments of awkward silence before he quietly muttered, "A few months.  Since Tython."

"Oh," Ty regretted asking.  Kai'sha was often busy with Jedi business, but she made time for the people she cared about... Ty had assumed that she and Trajen had remained in close contact.  "Why so long?"

Trajen heaved a heavy sigh, hands going to his hips as he glanced around the room, looking anywhere other than at Ty's face, "She..." he paused, taking another breath before continuing, "She and I aren't up for discussion."

"Aren't up for discussion with _me_ , or aren't up for discussion in general?"

"Both."

Ty winced.  "So you're giving up?"

Trajen's eyes snapped to hers, looking angry and frustrated, "What else could I do, Ty?"

"You could tell her how you feel, Trey."

"She's a Jedi," Trajen said with finality as he began to walk toward the door, "She let the Order decide her future for her a long time ago."

They were silent for a moment, each reflecting on the statement before Ty came to a firm conclusion.  "Something just occurred to me, Trey." The soldier glanced over his shoulder with a look of expectation, "You're a damn coward."

* * *

Kai'sha lifted her hand to her forehead, masking the sharp glare of the sun as she walked down the ramp of her ship, the sound of Qyzen's heavy footsteps close behind her.  The mystery of this planet bothered her - why come to this place?  She felt the Force guiding her here for an unknown purpose...  and then, as if summoned by her ponderings, she saw _him_.

Leaning casually against a large stack of wooden crates, almost masked from view in the shadows, was the man who'd filled her thoughts for the past two years - regardless of how hard she tried to banish her feelings away, "Trajen?  Is that you?"

He looked at her with a softness that made her heartbeat quicken... she knew that look was just for her.  It destroyed her a little, every time he looked at her that way.  "Hey, Sparkler."

Her eyes trailed over his familiar features, the olive skin slightly tanner than she remembered, his green eyes standing out in bright contrast to his dark features.  She felt like a lovesick child, staring blankly and unable to speak as he overwhelmed her.

They stood silent, each staring at the other in turn, long enough for Qyzen to speak up and snarl impatiently that he would stay at the ship if he wasn't needed.  Kai'sha felt a blush rise instantly on her cheeks and Trajen cleared his throat in an attempt to mask the awkwardness.

"We've got a lot to talk about.  Follow me," Trajen turned away, walking down the wooden planks of the landing bay toward the city of Raider's Cove.  Kai looked to Qyzen, signaling for him to stay at the ship before she turned to follow, feeling refreshed by the salty air as they walked.

The pair was quickly swallowed by the crowd of merchants, smugglers, and pirates that filled the boardwalk, Trajen moving in closer to her as a few men let out whistles of appreciation as Kai walked by.  "What a lovely town you've discovered, Trajen," she said with a laugh as he sent an icy glare toward the men gathered at the doorway of a nearby cantina... but she frowned slightly as the priates immediately quieted when they got a good look at her face... almost as if they were afraid.  _Odd_.

Without warning, a voice rang out from beside her, "Oh, hello!"  Kai turned the source of the voice, "You're from the Red Hulls, aren't you?"  Kai found herself increasingly confused as the bird-like creature in front of her continued to speak, "Welcome to Raider's Cove!  We're all just fellow pirates here!  You and your crew," he glanced nervously toward Trajen, "don't have to maim or kill or eat anyone!"

Looking to Trajen in alarm, Kai shook her head, "Excuse me, what--"

Before she could finish, Trajen stepped forward and blocked Kai'sha from the bird creature's view, "Are you looking for trouble?  Do you know who you're talking too?"  He was using a deeper voice than normal, posturing in a way that was very unlike the Trajen she knew... _What in the stars is going on?_

Glancing around at their surroundings, Kai sensed unease coming toward her in waves from the people around them - as if her very presence was setting them on their guard.  "Trajen," Kai said firmly, interrupting his tense exchange with the bird-pirate, "We need to talk.  Now."

The creature in front of Trajen nodded to her vigorously, looking excited at the chance to escape the encounter, "Just watch out for Gorro, okay?  He hangs out at the cantina a lot... and they serve good food there!  No need to eat anyone!"

Kai walked swiftly down the boardwalk, Trajen jogging slightly to catch up, "Over there," he said as he pointed to the shadowed archway of a building, "We should have some privacy."

Upon reaching the darkness of the doorway, Kai glanced quickly around them, "We're alone," she said quietly, looking up into Trajen's face as he did his own assessment of their surroundings, "Now will you tell me what's going on?"

"Its good to see you," he replied abruptly, "I was worried about you."

Kai smiled at him, glad for the partial darkness around them that would hide her recurring blush, "I've missed you too."

Trajen took a breath before continuing, "Promise me we'll talk before this is all over?"

"I don't even know was _'this'_ is.  Are you okay?"

Shaking his head, he repeated, "Promise we'll talk.  Please."

Slightly taken aback, Kai nodded, "We'll talk."

"I'll hold you to it, Sparkler," Trajen glanced around them again, "Remember our old buddy Theron Shan?"

* * *

Ty fired off a flurry of shots from her dual blasters as she, Trajen and Kai approached the large crates that housed the slaves forced into hard labor by the target of their operations on Rishi, the pirate gang called the  _Nova Blades_.  Ty felt her stomach turn as she watched Kai heal as many of the sickly people as she could while she and Trajen covered their escape.

"Is that everyone?" Ty asked, watching as Kai surveyed the disgusting slave camp for more surviving captives.

"I believe so," Kai replied, sounding exhausted from the amount of healing energy she'd used, "Let's get out of here."

The past several days had been hectic, the team working with Theron and Lana to take down the Nova Blades and root out the Revanites.  Their plan had been working smoothly thus far, Kai playing along with the pirate alias as best she could.

As the trio made it back to the rendezvous location at the docks, Kai assessed the slaves again for injuries - in a very not-a-pirate way - before Jakarro picked them up for relocation back to Raider's Cove.  "Let's head back to base," Trajen said as he approached a pair of nearby speeders, "Ty, can you hotwire these things?"

Looking to the old, rusted speeders, Ty nodded and set to work re-wiring their engines to start.  The first speeder's engine shot to life without issue, but the second one gave her a bit more trouble.  With sparks flying from the wiring, Ty carefully adjusted the connections in speeder's control panel, smiling in victory as it gave up the battle and came to life several moments later.

Glancing up to announce her success, Ty quieted as she saw Trajen dab a cloth along Kai's damp brow, whispering something to her as he guided her to the other speeder.  Trajen swung a leg over and motioned for Kai to get on behind him, keeping one of her hand's in his as the tired Jedi settled onto the speeder, wrapping her arms snuggly around his waist and closing her eyes as she leaned on his back for support.

"Those two are so sweet it's disgusting," Ty muttered quietly to herself, shaking her head as she shifted her speeder and took off.  It would be several minutes before they made it back to Raider's Cove and she'd prefer to travel in front of them, rather than follow behind and be forced into witnessing what was clearly a private moment.

The salty breeze coming off of the water below them helped Ty to relax as they traveled, Raider's Cove a small brownish smear in the distance.  Theron and Lana would be there, hopefully with another step planned in this scheme to trick the Revanites into exposing themselves... though if she were honest, she wouldn't mind a break - even if it was only for a few hours.

Theron had looked exhausted when they'd left for this mission - Where she and Kai had managed to sleep the night before, Theron had been awake for at least two days, scanning through data and comm signals looking for anything they could use to find Revan and his followers... he was working himself to death.

_A small break couldn't hurt, right?_

In a moment of impulse, Ty activated her personal comm unit, "Trajen, I'll meet you guys back at the safe house in a bit.  Just need to pick something up."  Not waiting for a response, Ty shifted her course slightly, directing her speeder toward the northern edge of Raider's Cove.  During their explorations over the past week, Ty had found a small food cart that served the most amazing sweetened bread she'd tasted since her childhood on Uphrades.

Landing close to the tiny marketplace, Ty hopped off the speeder and sauntered through the storefronts.  Offering a flirtatious smile to the men loitering around an armor vendor, Ty continued toward her destination - this was her element and these bottom-feeders were her people.  As much as she loved her sister and had become close to Trajen, it was in these seedy places with these dangerous people that Ty felt most at home.

"Ah, the pretty lady returns!" The old man at the food cart yelled boisterously, covered in sweat and flour and dirt, giving her a toothless smile as he dusted off his hands, "What can I get you?"

"Two of the sweet breads," Ty replied as she glanced over the food-filled shelves, "and one of those twisted bread loaves."

Handing over the coin to pay and taking the warm food from the man, Ty made her way back to the speeder, taking a different route through the marketplace to avoid the stares of the men she'd seen at the armor stall.

Navigating the main boardwalk of Raider's Cove with one hand steering the speeder and the other holding onto the fragrant loaves, Ty made quick progress back to the safe house, careful for anyone following behind her.  As she made the final turn and the safe house came into view, she saw Theron standing just outside of the doorway, hands on his hips and a frown on his face.

Raising an eyebrow at the sight, Ty'sha parked the speeder in a shadowed area off to the side of building and approached Theron silently, holding out a sweet loaf toward him.  "It would have been nice for you to tell us where you were going," Theron said in greeting, not reaching out to take the food from her.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," she said as she waved the bread inches in front of his nose, "A friendly surprise to thank you for all of the hard work and sleepless nights."

The frown seemed to evaporate from his features, his gaze shifting to the bread in her hand, "You got that for me?"

"You liked them the last time, didn't you?"

"Well... yeah."  Reaching out hesitantly, Theron took hold of the sweet bread and broke off a small piece, popping it into his mouth and chewing quietly.  Ty watched with a smirk, Theron's cheeks beginning to turn a soft shade of pink under her scrutiny.

"Thank you." He said after a moment, offering her that damned smile she loved so much.  "...and sorry.  I was just worried you'd run into trouble and you wouldn't have anyone to back you up."

Ty smiled widely, bumping her fist lightly on his shoulder, "Ah, come on, Theron!  You'd have rescued me anyways so there wasn't a need to worry."  Throwing him a wink, Ty turned into the shadowed entryway of the safe house, sure to offer Theron an exaggerated swing of her hips as she walked away.

* * *

Leaning down over the console, Kai reviewed the limited information available about "Torch" and her Mandalorians... this would be a challenge, but after successfully playing the part of _Pirate Gang Leader_ for the past several days, she was confident she could make this work... she _had_ to make this work.

Trajen was standing close by, scanning a datapad with a deep frown on his face.  He'd been upset when Lana had insisted that Ty'sha and Kai go to see Torch without him while he worked on alternate objectives... several hours had passed and his mood had yet to improve.

Theron was speaking with Lana and Ty on the other side of the room and Jakarro's snores could be heard from the cot near the doorway - This was the calm before the storm... in a few hours, Force willing, Kai would be face to face with a Mandalorian ally.

The light in the room was low, evening closing in on Raider's Cove... She would need to sleep soon, but she couldn't rest until she calmed Trajen down.  Touching his arm lightly, Kai motioned for him to follow her.  The darkened hall that wrapped around the safe house would give them privacy to talk.

As they walked, Kai glanced over to the man she knew held the reins of her heart, his armor gleaming in the darkness, his green eyes watching her intently.  “I don’t like this,” Trajen said in a quiet voice, “Mandalorians are bloodthirsty – this isn’t a good plan.”

“What other choice do we have?” Kai replied as she met his gaze, “We have to try.”

“You don’t know Mando’s like I do, Kai.  I should be coming with you.”  His hands were at his hips, his brow furrowed, “You’ll need backup.”

“Don’t worry about us.  Ty and I can handle it.”

“I’m not worried about Ty'sha, damn it,” Trajen ran a hand through his hair, now pacing back and forth in front of her, “I’m worried about _you_.”  Kai could hear the frustration in his voice, a sign that he was barely holding it together.

“Trajen,” she said quietly, “I’ll be okay.”  She reached out and touched him lightly on the arm once more, bringing his gaze back to her. “I’ll be okay,” she repeated.

His face held a look of frustration melded with worry - impulsively, Kai stepped forward and hugged him.  Wrapping her arms around the bulk of his armored torso, she placed a cheek against his chest and held him close.  “I promise.”

She heard his breath catch as he stood completely still for several beats, then slowly she felt him move to return the hug, gently placing a hand at her spine while the other went to her shoulder.

This moment felt too right - too fated.  As if they fit together like they'd always been meant to hold each other... The rightness of it made her heart ache, knowing that it could never be - she was a Jedi.  It was forbidden...  Knowing they'd held each other for too long and too closely, Kai tried to pull away - but he stopped her.

“Trajen,” Kai said in a voice filled with sorrow, “We can’t.”

“I know.”  He moved his hand from her shoulder to her chin, moving her face upward toward his own, "I know but I can't stop myself."

"Trey," Kai whispered, feeling her face flush at their nearness, "Please."

Kai felt his hand cup her cheek, "Have you ever been kissed?"

Shaking her head, Kai felt her heartbeat quicken in embarrassment, "No."

"Can I?"  He asked, the hand at her spine pulling her even her closer to him, "Can I kiss you?"

Kai knew she should say no... duty and obligation meant that this - being with him - wasn't possible.  But looking into his eyes and feeling him all around her, Kai lost all strength to fight the feelings in her heart--

"Kai'sha?  Where are you?"  The sound of Ty's voice felt like ice water, ripping Kai out of the moment with startling suddenness.  Pulling away from Trajen roughly, Kai brought both of her hands up to her cheeks, feeling the flushed warmth of her skin through her gloves.

"We'll be inside in just a moment," she called out, looking at Trajen's disappointed features in the near darkness.  He offered her a sad smile that broke her heart into tiny pieces as he turned away, walking back into the main room of the safe house without a word.

* * *

Ty felt an immense sense of relief as she entered the large room, trailing far behind her sister and walking with a heavy limp.  She could hear the low rumble of Theron's voice as he spoke with Kai, his face still covered in bruises and cuts from his time in captivity with the Revanites... She'd been _**so** _ afraid.  More afraid than she'd ever admit to anyone.

Hearing Lana's voice made her vision go red - They'd almost lost Theron because of the stunt she'd pulled.  Ty could feel her hands shaking as she did her best to calm down.  Today had been too overwhelming - too emotional.  She hadn't felt like this since the day she'd reunited with Kai several year earlier.

"I made a calculated strategic decision and it worked, as we can all see now," the Sith Lord said defensively as the rest of their little group stood angrily before her.

"If you'd talked to me about it I would have volunteered," Ty could hear Theron's anger in each biting word, "You didn't even give me a choice."

Taking a deep breath, Ty'sha decided she'd be better served by tending to her injuries, rather than shooting Lana in the head with her blaster.  During the escape from the Revanite bunker, Ty had been on the receiving end of an ion grenade, which had caused damage to her cybernetic knee, making movement especially uncomfortable.

Sitting down on a bench along the far wall of the room, Ty pulled out a field knife and cut away the scorched fabric of her pants to expose the burnt skin underneath.  She hissed as she pulled at a piece of fabric that had melted into the skin, yanking at it swiftly so that she could apply a kolto pack, thinking with chagrin that she should really start wearing armor.

"You should never have hidden the truth from him," Ty heard her sister say in the damned composed voice she always managed to use - _did Kai ever get upset_?  Lana had some reply, Trajen raised his voice in anger, and Kai spoke again... Ty'sha decided against paying attention, however, and she continued to focus on her leg.  The kolto was soothing away the pain quickly, but the damage she couldn't see - the internal damage to the knee replacement - was going to be a tougher fix.

With her eyes closed, Ty sat in silence, letting the kolto do it's work... In moments like these, she almost wished she had a smoke to take the edge off.  The haze of a little inhaled spice was still tempting on occasion, though she'd never tell anyone that she still occasionally had cravings for the stuff.  She took a few more breaths, pain continuing to ebb away, before she felt the pressure of a hand on her shoulder.

Opening her eyes and glancing upward, Ty saw Theron's battered face staring down at her.  "Need a hand?"  Glancing around them, Ty saw the two of them were now alone in the room, the rest of their comrades having left to do... whatever they were doing.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she replied with a pained smile, "You were the tortured one, remember?"

Theron chuckled, the grin she loved so much coming to his face as he sat down beside her, "Oh trust me, I haven't forgotten."  He pulled her hand away from the kolto pack on her leg and lifted the green infusion slightly away from the skin, "How's the knee?"

"An ion charge got me.  I think some of the wiring was damaged."

"I should be able to run a diagnostic scan to see," Theron said as he reached to his belt and pulled out a datapad, "Oh wow," he muttered in shock, "that's not a cheap piece of work there."  Ty'sha had paid several million credits to get a nearly invisible cybernetic  knee replacement with skin grafted over it.  To the naked eye, her leg appeared like any normal human leg would.

"I've made a little money along the way," Ty with a slight grimace as she leaned back on the bench, "and I'm slightly vain."

"Only slightly?"

Ty chuckled, "Okay, maybe more than slightly."

Theron continued to analyze his datapad for several minutes before he lowered the device, "Well, it looks like you're down for the count for a while.  Probably won't be able to tag along on the next mission."

Ty'sha could feel her eyes widen, "What?  It can't be that bad!"

"It's not, really, but there isn't reliable enough equipment on Rishi to get the repairs you need."

Ty frowned at him, "What about you?  How are you feeling?"

"A few of my implants need repairs too, but nothing else that a little rest won't heal."

They stared at each other for several silent moments, Ty watching as Theron's eyes traced the lines of her face.  The two of them had been working closing together for months - ever since Korriban - and the tension between them had grown to a nearly ridiculous level recently.  They were attracted to each other... that much was obvious.

"Guess you'll think twice the next time a spy asks you out for a _quick chat_ ," he said quietly, referring to their first conversation back at Carrick Station, "Wouldn't want to go through all this again."

"Are you kidding?" Ty whispered back, the two of them leaning in slightly closer to each other as they spoke, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"Don't know if I'd go that far, but good company helps." Their faces were nearly touching, Ty'sha realizing that it was now or never - They'd flirted, they'd talked, they'd become friends... was this right?  Did she risk a friendship she'd grown to value?

His golden eyes were staring at her, the expression on his face nearly blank... but she knew him well enough now to see past the mask he wore.  He was nervous.  The same thoughts running through her head were running through his too - she knew they were...

_Fuck it._

Ty moved forward swiftly, closing the gap between them and meeting Theron's lips with her own. The kiss lasted several moments - it was a soft kiss... an annoyingly sweet one.  _Nope,_ Ty thought to herself as she reached a hand up to grasp the back of Theron's head, digging her fingernails into his thick hair and forcing his mouth more firmly against hers.

As they broke apart after the longer, harder kiss, both winced as their positions aggravated their injuries, "Well," Ty said with a grin as she gently rubbed her sore leg, "glad we had this talk."


	7. Lost, Not Found

Trajen rubbed his eyes, feeling mentally exhausted from all of the datapads and astrogation charts he'd been staring at over the past three days. Havoc Squad had been recalled to Coruscant after the events of Ziost to regroup and plan out a strategy with Garza and Malcolm.  Trajen hadn't wanted to return to the Core Worlds with the enemy still out there, but his 'superiors' had insisted.

He was with Jorgan at the Senate Tower, staring at hyperspace maps and trying to work out possible focal points for their recon missions.  Several outposts, both Imp and Republic, had been attacked recently, giving them some idea of where to begin - Wild Space.

Jedi Master Kai'sha Räe was out there too, he knew.  She'd sent him a message two days prior to let him know that she'd been summoned by Darth Marr to his coalition flagship.  She wasn't sure what leads he might have, but she'd promised to let him know what she found out... She'd asked him to accompany her and he was still livid with Garza for denying that request.

As Jorgan pulled up yet another map for them to review, the high pitched chirp of the comm unit announced the beginning of an incoming transmission.  "Dane, Jorgan.  My office - Now."  It was Garza.  The line cut out before either had a chance to reply.  Something was wrong.  Very wrong.

Without speaking, both men immediately dropped what they were doing and jogged for the door.  Garza's office was only a few rooms down the hall, so the pair made it to their destination in short time.  Malcolm was there - as was Supreme Chancellor Saresh.  The feeling of foreboding that had come with Garza's short message quadrupled at seeing the gathered officials.

"Sir," Trajen said to no one in particular, offering a quick salute as he approached.

"Major, we'll skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point."  Garza's voice was stiff as she pulled up the holo image of a large Imperial destroyer that had been, from what Trajen could tell, blown in half.  Several smaller sections of the ship were floating around it as the aft and stern slowly drifted apart. "This is all that's left of Darth Marr's flagship."

Trajen's eyes widened as he felt like he'd been punched in the gut.  **_Kai'sha_**.

"We received this image from Lieutenant Felix Iresso, currently assigned to the crew of the Barsen'thor, Jedi Master Räe.  From the communication sent to us by the Lieutenant, a large fleet of unknown origin was responsible for the ship's destruction."

"And the Jedi?  Kai'sha?" Trajen didn't sound like himself - his voice was broken and strangled, causing the General to glance in his direction.

"She was onboard the destroyer during the attack.  Both she and Marr's conditions are currently unknown."

"A number of escape pods were launched prior to the ship's destruction," the voice of Jace Malcolm, Supreme Commander of the Republic military, was as hard as stone.  "We have scrambled several ships in the sector to intercept as many pods as possible before any Imp reinforcements arrive."

"This incident presents us with an opportunity to gain valuable intel," the Supreme Chancellor added, her voice dripping with superiority, "I want every Imperial we find to be interrogated.  I want to know what Marr was doing out there."

"As I made clear before," Garza said with a huff, "the crew of Master Räe are making their report to Grand Master Shan and we will have an update for you shortly."

"They should have come to us first," Saresh snapped back, "Lieutenant Iresso is one of our soldiers.  Why he reported to Tython and not to you, Malcolm, proves that the Jedi are not disclosing their true objectives.  Satele Shan will answer for this."

Trajen could hear the commotion around him, Malcolm raising his voice in defense of the Grand Master and Garza demanding that everyone remain calm... yet his mind was in a haze.  _Kai was on board when the ship was destroyed?_   She couldn't have been - she would have reached an escape pod.  His Sparkler could run... she was always able to get out of sticky situations... it was one of the things he adored about her.

He needed to find her.

"Havoc will join in the search immediately, General," Trajen announced, interrupting his superior officer's as they attempted to reason with the Supreme Chancellor.  "I'll have our ship ready to depart within the hour."

"No."

Glancing immediately to Jace Malcolm, Trajen's mind was filled with confusion, "Sir?"

"We need Havoc prepped for an Imperial response.  They'll blame us for this and you're our first line of defense," Malcolm's voice was firm, making clear that he would accept no argument.

"Sir, Kai'sha has worked closely with Havoc in the past.  We owe it to her to assist in the search," Trajen matched Malcolm's tone with his own, unwilling to compromise.  He _**would** _ assist in the search, orders be damned.

" _Master Räe_ ," Garza inserted angrily, "is the Barsen'thor of their Order.  She is capable of looking after herself.  Your duty, _Major_ , is to protect the people of the Republic."

Trajen was silent for a moment, looking from the General to the Supreme Commander with a look of steely determination on his face.  "Fuck duty."

Turning toward the door, Trajen marched out of the room, ignoring the sounds of his superior officer's as they demanded he come back immediately.  Moving quickly down the hall, he removed his Havoc insignia from his shoulder plate, dropping it purposefully to the floor, along with his communicator and sidearm.

"Major!"  Jorgan was following him at a run, grasping his arm roughly as he caught up to him, "Trajen!  Stop!  What the hell are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, Aric?" The Cathar's face was tense with confusion and anger.

"Look, I know how you feel about her but Kai is a _Jedi_.  Garza's right.  She can take care of herself."

Growling in frustration, Trajen pulled his arm from Jorgan's grasp and continued quickly toward the exit of the Senate Tower.  It was clear that his friend wasn't done with him, however, when the Cathar cut him off at a run, effectively blocking his way.

"You're really going to do this?  Ruin your entire career for a woman... for her... a Jedi?"

Unable to control himself, Trajen grabbed Jorgan by the collar and yanked him off of his feet, "One. More. Word."  His voice was harsh, "Don't make me hurt you, Aric."

Unafraid, Jorgan didn't back down, "You've worked for years to get where you are, Trey!  Malcolm sees you as his damn successor!  Don't do this!"  The Cathar was struggling to free himself, releasing feline snarls as he failed to break free.

"I'm leaving, Aric.  Be a good boy and follow orders if you want too, but I'm done."  Dropping Jorgan roughly to the ground, Trajen stepped over him and made to continue once more toward the exit, but he was yanked harshly backward and planted firmly against the wall.

Malcolm.

"You aren't going anywhere, soldier."  The Supreme Commander's scared face was mere inches from his own, wearing a mask of anger that would make most men run for their lives.

Without hesitation, Trajen reared his head back and launched it forward, slamming his forehead against Malcolm's in a violent headbutt.  Unprepared, Malcolm stumbled back, hands coming up to clutch his face in pain.

Running for the exit, Trajen could sense that one of the men, Malcolm or Jorgan, was still in pursuit.  Refusing to be stopped again, Trajen ran as fast as he could, feeling relief as he escaped the confines of the Senate Tower.  It would be easy to blend into Coruscant crowds if he could only make it to a speeder.

"Stop!"  It was Jorgan.  Knowing that the Cathar could overtake him easily at a run, Trajen looked for a means of cover.  The open promenade leading to the entrance of the Senate Tower was wide open for at least a quarter mile, so Trajen ran for the entrance of the lower level market located just off of the promenade.  He'd lose Jorgan there.

Taking the stairs three at a time, Trajen raced below, hearing his friend closing in quickly.  Making erratic turns throughout the shops and weaving between the crowds, Trajen attempted to increase his lead... but Jorgan was too fast.

Coming at him from behind, Jorgan tackled Trajen to the ground.  The pair spun for a moment, rolling in a mass of armor and limbs as they came to a stop near a vacant storefront.  Gasping for air, Jorgan sat up and sent a glare toward his commanding officer.  "You ready to talk now?"

"I'm leaving.  You can't convince me otherwise."  Sounding equally winded from the chase, Trajen rolled onto his back, putting an arm over his eyes as he caught his breath.

"Garza and Malcolm will come after you.  You know that, right?"

Lowering his arm and glancing toward the Cathar, Trajen offered a slight shake of his head and replied, "I don't care.  I won't abandon her."

"I know that you like her," Jorgan raised his hands to stop Trajen's immediately reply and continued, "Okay, you _really_ like her, but if she was on that ship... Come on, Trey.  There's no surviving that."

"You don't know that, Aric.  Kai's done some incredible things - I have to believe that she's still alive."

"And what if she isn't?"  Jorgan shrugged, "You'll have given up everything to chase a ghost."

Struggling to his feet, Trajen glanced back and forth down the market hall, checking for pursuers.  "She isn't a ghost and you need to let me go, Aric.  This is something I have to do and I've wasted enough time."

"No!  I won't let you do this."  Jorgan was standing now too, fists clenched and face hard.  "You're better than this.  You're the leader of Havoc Squad and you owe it to your troops to stay and fight."

"I owe the Republic nothing!  I owe Havoc nothing!  I've bled enough for them - I'm going to find Kai!"

"And what if she's dead, Trajen?  What if you go out there and there's nothing?  What then?"  The Cathar's arms were thrown wide, disbelief now blending with the anger in his voice.

"I refuse to go on not knowing that happened to her, Aric!"

"Why?!  Why, Trajen?!"  Both men were yelling now, attracting the attention of nearby shoppers.

_Why?_   Kai's face came immediately to his mind - Her short black hair sticking up in odd angles after training with her apprentice, the smile she always thought he couldn't see when he'd sing while cleaning his weapons, the blush on her face when he called her Sparkler, the golden halo of energy that'd surround her during a fight... the look on her face when they'd almost shared a kiss on Rishi... there were so many reasons why he had to find out where she was - so many amazing, caring, selfless, beautiful reasons... but the **_real_ ** reason, the one that had only occurred to him now...

" _ **Because I fucking love her**_!"


End file.
